Lie To Me
by Tiggy the Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Now Continued! "You said you don't love me or anything. Could you lie to me?" One of her hands caught one of his and slowly led it toward her body. He didn't stop her. Elpharic, bookverse.
1. A Kind Lie

Wrote it yesterday, but I couldn't log in... I'm marking this as Complete for now, but it might be continued... that being said, feedback appreciated.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Avaric quite liked the country. It was quiet, the people were quaint, the food was all homemade and he had never seen more stars. To top it all off, none of the girls from the town outside Caprice-in-the-Pines knew his slightly unsavory reputation and could still be swept away by his impressive, if meaningless title.

The girls here were silly, sweet little things. Deliciously naive and innocent, they didn't try to behave as if they were anything they weren't. They also weren't pampered little cream puffs. Strong girls who had never known a day where they got nothing accomplished. Rest was only allowed if you were ill, and the next day you'd better be either dead or back to work. Eyes shut, he daydreamed about a possible future. Maybe he'd find himself a nice country girl to marry, take her to the city and let her live in luxury that she would never take advantage of.

A woman's frightened, pained scream and a sudden pain in his own leg shook him awake. He'd been lying on his back, nearly invisible along the shore line of the lake, his feet in the water. Before he had a chance to think about it, he reached upward to catch his visitor's arm.

Only after he'd pulled her down on top of him did he realize it was Elphaba, finally taking herself out of exile. She hadn't been able to see him and had tripped over him as she'd walked along the edge of the lake, screeching when the water touched her. "What were you doing so close to the fucking lake? Trying to kill yourself?"

"Maybe," she muttered as she hissed in pain. Horror struck him at the implication that she was suicidal and as he remembered that she was still on top of him in a somewhat compromising situation. Just as the thought crossed him mind, she rolled off of him, hiking up her wet skirt to reveal red flesh, blisters forming along her normally green foot and ankle. "Damn, that hurts."

"You're allergic to water, did you think it would tickle?" He asked, incredulous.

She shrugged. "I didn't expect to feel much of anything. I was either going to simply walk down here and return to my room or to jump in and be done with it all. I didn't account for tripping over lazy oafs."

He didn't let the dig bother him too much. "I would get that dress off. It's still wet, I can tell."

"Avaric, I never thought you one to try and get me out of my clothes," she said as she did remove the dress and sat in her slip, trying to behave as if she hadn't nearly killed herself and had some shred of modesty about her.

He shrugged his shoulders, "It's dark, maybe I'd wish you stayed clothed in the light, but not so much now. Besides, the dampness was still burning you and while jumping in the lake might not hurt, I think we've already established that water on your skin hurts. Why exactly were you considering killing yourself?"

"No one wants anything to do with me. Boq used me to get close to Galinda, Pfannee used Galinda to play a trick on me, and Galinda herself was nothing but horrified by my very presence, as if my one goal in life was to embarrass her. I won't be the butt of any joke or used, and if I truly do put my roommie through so many trials I might as well save her from the pain."

She detected a softness in his eyes as he said, "You were going to kill yourself because of some joke?"

She wrinkled her nose up as she inspected the wound on her leg. "Hadn't decided yet. Probably wouldn't have. I don't know if I believe in any sort of afterlife, but if there is one, I'd hate to hurry to hell when this is life."

"So I saved your life?"

She picked up a rock and skimmed it across the water. "Most likely you just caused me to burn myself. But maybe you kept me from killing myself, I can't say what I would have done if I hadn't tripped over you. Does that make you feel like a hero?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I'm sure I must've contributed to your suicidal tendencies, if only because if I hadn't agreed to escort you here the joke probably wouldn't have happened."

"Don't give yourself to much credit. Galinda's not the only one that wants nothing to do with me."

"I never said I wanted nothing to do with you," he reminded her. As his words sank in, her head snapped up so she could look him in the eye. At the question she couldn't quite bring herself to ask, he answered, "No, I don't love you or anything. Don't be too horrified. I just find you interesting and sometimes a welcome distraction from the girls I normally hang around with. I don't know if I'd miss you if you died, but I would notice the lack of your presence."

"So?"

"So, like I said I don't so much mind the fact that you're sitting there in your slip."

She leaned back so she could look up at the stars, like he had been before. After an awkward, silent moment as he started at her, he slid back as well. The stars didn't seem to hold still- they spun and twinkled. Maybe that was simply his distraction. Once he felt thoroughly dizzy, she broke the silence in an odd half-voice that was very unlike her. "Could you lie to me?"

"What?" He rolled over and was surprised to see that she faced him.

"You said you don't love me or anything. Could you lie to me?" One of her hands caught one of his and slowly led it toward her body. He didn't stop her.

Swallowing hard as he took the initiative to run his hand over her torso he decided, "Yes, I could lie to you if you wanted me to. Is that what you want?"

"I think so," she admitted, her eyes shutting as he kissed her and rolled on top of her. The water that clung to his wet clothes burned, but she focused on his sweet lie, the one his body said and her body believed.

She pretended he loved her, that she was more than a curiosity to him. It proved to be enough as he nudged her legs apart and pushed her slip up, past her thighs. He guided her hand to waistband and she unfastened his pants. They joined and there was no sudden love between them, or special kindness. There was, however, a welcome release. Him from the monotony of society, her from the constant feeling of rejection. She gasped when he entered her. There was a bit of pain, which she welcomed; it reminded her that she was still herself, that she was still the tolerated Elphaba Thropp.

She finished first and he was only a few moments after her. There was no real tenderness as they caught their breath and stared at each other. He readjusted his clothing and got up, pulling her up to her feet behind him. He walked her back to the house, hugging the shadows so they wouldn't be seen by anyone. They stood in the thresh hold, neither sure what to say. "Thank you for lying to me. It was nice to be able to pretend to be normal, for once."

"It wasn't the most difficult lie I ever told," he said and it comforted her. He combed a hand through her loose, dark hair, removing a few blades of grass and some leaves. His hand brushed against her cheek as he did it and her eyes shut by instinct. He kissed her again, because he didn't know what else to say and the spell wasn't quite broken yet. "And stay away from the lake. I might not be there for you to trip over."

She nodded, already renumbing herself to the uncomfortable truth. She didn't say goodbye, simply going back upstairs. The next afternoon she left with Boq, Galinda, and Madame Morrible's odd tick-tock thingy, her life intact but her heart as broken as ever.


	2. Lies And Truths

I promise I will update As If By Magic, I will. I have a whole sentence written for it! Eh? Oh... So as you can see I decided to continue this. It'll probably go... I think about six chapters, so a mini-series. The primary pairing (relationship?) in this fic is going to stay Elpharic (or whatever you prefer to call Elphaba/Avaric), but look out for some Fiyeraba and some Gelphie... yes I'm aware I make Elphie sound like a whore. She's not, I'm just following the novel (yes, my Fiyeraba die-hard fans, I do see the Gelphie side of things, too.)

OK, I'll shut up now.

* * *

He sauntered back into town a week later than scheduled, head clouded with confusion. He wasn't sure if he actually was avoiding her or not, but he didn't run into Elphaba until the evening before they were to resume classes. He was surprised to see her alone, even though he knew it was stupid to let anything about the girl surprise her. While technically the girls at Shiz were not allowed to go unchaperoned, it was a rule primarily enforced by the girls' families and their personal minders. Elphaba's father hadn't bothered making sure his daughter was provided for and Ama Clutch, Galinda's nanny kept Elphaba on a rather long leash. She was the trustworthy sort, if only because no one thought she would have someone to get in real trouble with.

Well, now Avaric at least knew better.

She was by herself, walking home from somewhere. He never did find out from where, but it mattered little and he was glad she was alone because he knew that would be the only way he would get her to really talk to him. There were still no guarantees, but there was a chance. Still, his normally well-oiled, controlled voice faltered when he called her name, "Miss Elphaba," and asked her if she would him to walk her home.

She just told him she didn't care and he was free to walk whever he wanted, which was as good an invitation as he was likely to get. After a few minutes of walking in silence he asked, "How are you doing?"

"Perfectly fine," she said, distracted as if she wasn't really thinking about their conversation but something vitally important a thousand miles away.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I meant how have you been since we-"

"You're well endowed, Avaric, but not to the point that you cause any sort of lasting damage. And I bled on schedule so there's nothing to worry about there," she said without flinching. "So I would say I'm perfectly fine. Would you not?"

Waiving the figurative white flag he calmly said, "I didn't mean physically, though I would hope that if something were physically wrong with you after we...." he cleared his throat, enough of the adolescent boy still in him to be slightly uncomfortable despite his patented bravado. "I would hope you would say something to me."

She shrugged. "I probably would, but there's nothing to tell."

He nodded and continued, "But either way, I wasn't asking about how you are physically. I meant-"

She didn't let him finish his sentence. "Mentally, emotionally? Mentally I'm wondering what possessed me to let myself be so weak in front of you. Emotionally I'm unscathed."

"So you regret what we did?"

A slight fear rose up in his stomach but she dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "I didn't say that, it was... oh, I guess you could say it was enjoyable- wipe that smirk off your face, Avaric- but it's done with. I'm fine, you're fine?" He nodded and she continued, "Excellent. I'm fine and you haven't been ruined by fucking the odd green girl of Shiz University."

"Do you have to say it like that? Can't you be delicate for a second and call it making love or sleeping together or something?"

She jutted her already pointy chin out. "I won't lie about it to make it more pleasant. It wasn't making love because we both know love wasn't involved in any of it and neither of us did any sleeping. I can say we had sex if you prefer to more colorful language, but from things I've heard you say I know you aren't a stranger to swearing."

"Fair enough. We're both fine since we had sex?"

"Exactly. We're both fine so there's nothing to worry about," she dismissed it with a wave of hand as they reached the Crage Hall dormitories. She took a step up toward the outer door, but he stopped her, "What?" She snipped at him.

He wet his lips, wondering why it was so hard to talk to this paradox of a girl. "Are you really sure you're alright? I mean really? I feel like I took advantage of you or something. Are you feeling any better?"

She softened as much as she ever did. "I'm fine and have no desire to go near a lake again. And you didn't take advantage of me by doing something I asked you to. So it's fine and it's over. Goodnight," she said as she turned to go inside.

He called after, mostly because something still felt unfinished. "I... I'll see you around?"

She nodded, "We have the same friends. I don't see how not."

* * *

The next day, however, there were no thoughts of intimacy or love or not-love. Doctor Dillamond was dead, as Boq and Avaric discovered the next morning when they walked past Crage Hall. Among the gaggle of crying girls were Galinda and Elphaba, both looking shaken; Galinda was sobbing into one of her crony's shoulders and Elphaba had an inward, hidden look. Her eyes were dark and wet and Avaric could tell that tears threatened to spill over even though she refused to let them. "Elphie?" he tried to ask her after the girls had told them the whole, sad story but she turned away from him, instead moving to cluck over Galinda protectively. Avaric had a passing thought that the relationship between the girls did not seem so strained anymore, that Galinda no longer seemed to think of Elphaba as nothing but an embarrassment.


	3. Lie With Me

"Elphaba, hey I wanted to talk you you," After class, a few days later Avaric called after her. She didn't interrupt him, which seemed like an invitation from her, as much as anything ever did. She paused long enough for him to catch up with her, leaning against the ivy covered wall of one of the buildings in the shade of a big, old tree. He stopped in front of her and asked point-blank "You like him?"

She frowned, confused as to what his actual question was, and not liking the sound of it. "Who?"

"The Winkie." He smiled as she paled a little. "You were staring at him," he said, smirking as he watched her squirm.

"Everyone was, I have no idea what you're talking about," she snapped back at him, his calm annoying her.

He grinned at having shaken her -and it was very obvious that he had. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about." He leaned against the wall and added, "You're attracted to him."

She rolled her eyes at him, still managing to look like she very much wished to dig a hole into the earth and die. "Why do you care?" She eventually asked, sputtering and trying to pull away from him.

"I knew it!" he said with a smile as she confirmed it. But somehow he was not so pleased that he had definitely been right.

"I repeat my question. Why do you care? It's nothing to you."

"You want to know why I care? Well, so do I," he said as he pushed her against the wall, pinning her with his body. His lips caressed... no, not caressed, assaulted hers and for a second he thought he would be slapped. That second passed and she relaxed, her hand not colliding with his face but wrapping around the back of his skull, her fingers pulling through his hair. He pulled back then, her eyes snapping open with questions as he moved away. "I really do wish I knew why I just did that. Everything about you taken individually drives me away. Your skin, your attitude, your sharp angles, and sharper verbal assaults. But taken together you draw me in. If a single thing about you were normal I think I wouldn't pay you a bit of attention. But as you are..."

"Am I really so freakish?" she asked, almost shyly.

He caught her lips again, a little gentler this time but not by very much. "Yes, but it's not always a bad thing. In some ways your differences are thrilling," he said as one hand slid over her body. He paused for a second, his cocky attitude slightly fading. "I suppose part of the reason I want to know if you're attracted to the Winkie is so I know what attracts you." He studied her for a second, her messy hair, her chest heaving with labored breath. "Though I guess I'm not doing a horrible job at attracting you, just by being myself."

"Shut up," she snapped at him, "You're biggotted, vain," he leaned in to kiss her neck, lightly sucking on the skin there. "..racist, unyielding to anyone else, ooh.." anything else she might have said wa lost to a moan from the back of her throat.

"Yet I have you here, moaning, yielding to me. I can't be all bad, can I?"

She pushed against him, not quite pushing him away, "It's not in your favor that I'm a glutton for punishment," she insisted but knew that anything she said at that point mattered very little.

"Let's go," he suggested. The ancient tree they stood beneath provided camoflauge for them, but not enough for what he wanted to do, what he knew they would do. "Your dorm is closer?"

She shook her head, hating herself for submitting to him. "Galinda will be there, though. Yours."

He didn't hold her hand as he lead the way there, indeed they stood so far apart that at first glance you wouldn't think that they were walking together.... but then you noticed the way she watched him or how often he looked backward to make sure she was still there. "My parents were fools for paying for a single room for me," he mused as they walked up the stairs. Elphaba received a few questionable looks from boys milling in the mens' dorm's hallways, but no one questioned Avaric on it. He pushed his door open, "Where were we?"

"Here," she answered with her voice, and her body answered by wrapping herself around him, letting him push her down to the bed, her head clouded in several strong emotions. Hate was there, pulsating, but there was something else there, too. The hate gave her the energy and fire to meet his body with hers. That other feeling that she dared not name gave her the desire for his approval, and the will to lie beneath him again even despite everything she knew about him.

* * *

"He's a prince, they say. A prince without a purse or a throne. A pauper noble. In his particular tribe, I mean. He stays at Ozma towers and his name is Fiyero," Boq said as the three of them slid into class the next day, both Elphaba and Avaric trying not to squirm. "He's a real Winkie, full-blood. Wonder what he makes of civilization?" he added wistfully as Avaric wondered what Elphaba made of his presumed lack of culture.

She didn't answer the unspoken question but clearly sympothyzed with the other boy. "If that was civilization, last week, he must long for his own barbaric kind,"

Bristling, Avaric heard himself say, "What's he wearing such silly paint for? He only draws attention to himself. And that _skin_. I wouldn't want to have skin the color of shit."

"What a thing to say," Elphaba scolded and Avaric was glad that Boq sat between them, "If you ask me that's a shitty opinion."

"Oh please, let's just shut up," the Munchkin said as he tried, but failed to mediate.

"I forgot, Elphie, skin is your issue, too," Avaric said, knowing it was hateful and hurtful but caring very little.

"Leave me out of this," she said, slumping down into her seat. "We just had lunch and you give me dyspepsia Avaric, you and the beans we had at lunch," she wouldn't talk anymore and he watched her doodle blue diamonds onto her notebook until the fateful Lion Cub was brought out, distracting her and changing everything around them all.


	4. Lies Only Complicate Things

I rewrote this about six times... hope you like the end result!

* * *

"Avaric, wake up!"

A voice, far too loud, accompanied by lights far too bright caused him to stir. The scent of stale vomit assaulted him, the taste still lingering in his mouth. "No," he muttered.

This time there was a little kick, more aggravating than normal as he had spent the night on the hardwood floor. "Get up, man. There aren't any options here. You fell asleep in the hallway outside the girls' room. We have to go!"

He blinked a few times as he watched Boq hover over him. He pulled himself up, nearly slipping on the previous contents of his own stomach. He didn't address his friend, instead kicking the blasted door he knew wouldn't open. "Elphaba!" he yelled, even though he knew she wouldn't answer him.

Boq smacked him, "Shut up! Do you want to wake up the entire floor? We'll get kicked out if Morrible finds out you spent the night here, or that I came up here to look for you."

He turned to him, pretending he had no idea why she wouldn't address him. He knew, but had to hear someone else say it. "Where is _she_?"

Boq finally succeeded in getting him to walk away from the door. "Why do you care so much?"

A glare. "I just do, alright?"

Boq looked downward, unhappily. "Elphaba and Glinda's room was unlocked when I came up to check on you- I meant to ask them for towels to help clean you up. When I realized it was unlocked-I knocked first- I went in. Neither of the beds were slept in and most of their belongings were gone- just about all of Elphaba's, it looked like." He frowned, searching Avaric's face for some sort of explanation. "It looks like they were only home for a very short time before leaving again. And I ask again: why do you care so much?"

"That's none of your bussiness."

"Well then why the hell did you decide to spend the night in front of this particular dorm room? Can you answer me that one?"

"I..." he took a breath as he gathered his thoughts. He wanted to give honest, steady Boq some sort of answer, some kernel of the truth. But how could he explain the... relationship he had with Elphaba Thropp? The fact that he was both attracted to and repulsed by her, the intimacy? The fact that she was more woman than any of the girls he had ever been with, and also something stronger. As if she were Female, the others merely female.

No, he could never hope to explain it to Boq.

Boq was so honest and steadfast. He would never dream of being intimate with a girl he didn't love. And Avaric did _not _love Elphaba, that wasn't even an option. But Boq wouldn't be able to understand that. Then again, Avaric himself didn't understand why he had decided to spend the night outside that dorm room, hoping that Elphaba would return.

He knew it wasn't the truth, but he decided to blame the alcohol. It hadn't sated him, the girls hadn't distracted him. Over and over again she returned to his mind, intense and frightening and focused. He'd known she wasn't going to simply go home; he'd known she wasn't inside her dorm. He just didn't know where she would be or what she was doing, or better yet, why he cared.

By that point they had reached the front door, the safety of the outside where no one could accuse him of having passed out on the floor of the girls' dorm at some ungodly hour of the night. A thin light peeked out through clouds and Avaric slunk back to his own dorm without telling Boq a thing.

* * *

Glinda came back, a little less than three weeks later, tired and hurting. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was gaunt, as if she hadn't been able to eat much since she'd left. She was still beautiful, but for once it seemed like she had finally had to put work into it. They had all crowded around her, doubtlessly overwhelming her. Boq stood on one side, one of the other girls (Pfannee, maybe?) on her other, asking her questions. They had gone to the Emerald City and met the Wizard, something none of the rest of them had dreamed of doing.

And Elphaba had refused to come home, sending Glinda on her way like a young child to be bid where you pleased.

Later, after everyone had had their fill of the gossip, he followed her back to their dorm. "Glinda!"

She turned around slowly, tiredly. "I'm sorry Avaric, but I really just want to go back to my... to our... to my room."

"I know, and I'll walk you there. I just wanted to talk." She nodded, waiting for him to catch up to her and then walking with him. "What happened?"

She looked frustrated, as annoyed as she was capable of looking. "I told you. We went to the City, we met the Wizard. She stayed and I left. She made me leave her."

He glanced down, almost wanting to let her be; he couldn't though, he had to know. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

She shook her head, the blonde curls limply framing her face. "No. She said she didn't even know where she was going. She's gone, Avaric, no one's going to be able to find her."

"So you've just given up then?"

She ran a hand over her hair. It seemed thinner, not as bright. Frankly, that was an accurate description for all of her, as if the world had chewed her up and spat her out. Or as if Elphaba had rejected her. "You don't think I wish I knew where she was? You don't think I want to find her?" She looked into his eyes, searching for something she couldn't quite make out. "Since when do you care what happens to her? You never did before, no one ever did, not when it counted."

He didn't answer her, mostly because he didn't know the answer himself.


	5. Lie For Me

I wrote part of this while watching Private Practice with Idina... that's probably why it's odd, if it is.

* * *

He hadn't been looking for her, he was sure of that. He'd given up on ever seeing her again a few days after Glinda had returned. He'd thought about her very little in that time, just a passing memory. Glinda had seemed to think that she would leave the City, but there she was, as if she'd been placed there for him to find.

Her hair was longer than he remembered. It reached the small of her back now, whereas before it had come just below her shoulders. She wore it loose now, too, instead of in a braid. She'd pinned the front of it back out of her face, giving her a more womanly appearance, as opposed to the schoolgirl she had once been. Her dress was black, not surprising to him. A hint of cleavage to it, which was surprising to him. She was thinner, as if eating was a low priority-or as if food was not always an option.

She looked completely horrified to see him, too. "Avaric?" she said, finding her voice first after they stared at each other for a long minute.

"Elphaba?" He responded, still in disbelief.

"As if there's any mistaking me," she snipped at him, but it was mostly good natured. "Why are you here?"

Avaric was not the party boy she remembered- he wanted to be, but that wasn't an option anymore. He was twenty one, engaged, nearly ready to inherit his father's title, and completely miserable. He told her such, other than the fact that he was miserable; that she inferred for herself. "So a bachelor party gone wrong?" she guessed.

"Not much of a party," he lied. There had been a brilliant party, but he'd ran off from it. His 'friends' were probably scattered throughout the strip clubs and brothels of the City. They weren't missing him. "Are you hungry? I haven't ate yet."

"No, I should be going-"

He touched her side, feeling her ribs through the dress. "You can't say you aren't hungry."

"Nothing prohibits me from saying what I care to," she said.

He smiled, "Yet you don't deny that you're hungry. So I'm saying: Come to dinner with me."

"Is that an order or an invitation?" she asked.

"Just a suggestion, but I can order you around a little, if you'd like." The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but she kindly didn't comment on it.

She weighed the options in her head, making a decision. "We'll decide that later," she told him, allowing him to take her arm and lead her away.

* * *

The hotel was formal, and she was slightly self-conscious at her clothing; her wardrobe was all second hand. She didn't show it though, unless standing closer to Avaric than she normally would've counted. He pulled her chair out for her and she hesitated for a fraction of a second before sitting down. She let him order for her, mostly because she had no idea what most of the menu consisted of. They ate, feeling the eyes of the other diners in the hotel's formal dining room on them. She wasn't a dainty eater- she cleaned her plate quickly, confirming his suspicion that food was not always available to her.

"So you're to be married?" she asked over dinner.

He nodded slowly, dabbing at his mouth with a linen napkin. "I am. Her uncle is a friend of my father's. I knew her for about three months, my father implied that she would be a good match for me, I decided she was pretty enough. That was it, really."

"Somehow I thought marriage was more than that," she commented, picking at a roll that sat in a basket on the table. She wasn't hungry anymore, but seemed to be considering asking the waiter for a box so she could take a few home.

He shrugged. "It can be, I guess. This is more of a glorified business arraignment. That's all I've really known. It isn't so bad, Glinda's being courted by a man much older than her. Did you know that? And Fiyero's been married since he was a child. Boq and Milla have been courting, probably will be married very soon. I don't think any money is exchanging hands, although she's suffering quite a drop in terms of the world. Her family is a bit better off than his. I think she might be spiting them- she didn't seem ready for a marriage like Glinda's. So she'll marry someone poor who she can at least befriend. I don't blame her."

"Me either. How is Glinda, really?" her eyes were fiercer then, slightly worried.

He shrugged. "I don't speak with her much. She's ambitious, stronger-willed than most people think she is. She'll be perfectly fine, I think. You worry about her?"

"I worry about everyone. All of Oz, really. But I guess you could say I have a special interest in her well being." She looked away for a long moment and he watched her. Clearly, marrying for money had not been a part of her plan for Glinda. She shook free of it, though and asked him. "And you? Are you happy?"

"Of course," he said quickly, too quickly. "Not, that is. Do you really think I would've twisted your arm into having dinner with me if I were really happy?"

He took a sip of wine and thoughtfully refilled her glass for her. She took a drink, and asked him, "Is that why then? Is this going to be it? Like before?"

He couldn't read her. "Is that a bad thing? It won't if you don't want it to."

She looked into her glass, debating. "I didn't say that, now did I?" She looked up, looking almost conventionally pretty in the candlelight. "I was just wondering if this meeting would end as all of ours seem to. With us in bed?"

He studied her, not able to directly answer her. "I don't know what I'm doing, sometimes I wish I could go back to before."

She nodded; that was enough of an answer for her. She finished her drink and put down the glass. "Then lead the way," she said. "Are you ready?"

He motioned for the waiter to take their plates away, telling him to charge their meal to his account. He took her arm and led her up to his rooms, locking the door behind them. She found the bed, sitting down and waiting for him. He brushed his lips over her temple, "You don't love me," he stated.

"Correct," she confirmed as his lips slid to her ear, lower to her neck.

He pulled back and lifted her chin. "And I don't love you, but I need to pretend I do. I need to pretend I'm actually feeling something. Can you lie to me?"

She leaned upward to kiss him. "Yes," she said, and reached behind her to unfasten her dress. He helped her out of it and she leaned backward.

She felt his hands on her running up from her ankle, to her knee, to her thigh. She froze up there, wrenching slightly away. "Elphaba?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

She didn't look at him. "When money was tight, when money gets tight.... Well, you aren't the only one curious about me. And when someone is paying for the use of your body," her throat was a little tight as she said it, uncomfortably. "When someone is paying for you, you can't really tell them no, no matter how rough the touch, or degrading it feels." He didn't know what to say to that, but he moved his hands upward to rest against her waist, kissing her to show her that he could understand at least that much.

And so they lied to each other again, both eager to believe that their mutual attraction and repulsion was something more like love.

The next morning they ate breakfast together in his room. She would not tell him where she lived, no matter how much he begged her to. No matter how hard you tried he was not able to find her. He married a few weeks later and pushed her out of his mind


	6. No More Lies

Sorry if it's dialogue heavy. Hope you like it!

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"Fiyero, it's so good to see you again, it's been too long, months. How are you doing?" Avaric asked in a particularly Upper-crust Gillikinese fashion a few years later as he met up with the Vinkun prince in an outdoor cafe. The late afternoon was warm, even though the day before had been rainy. It was in those last days of summer, the days you refuse to relinquish, dreading the come of cold winter.

Fiyero slid down into the seat across from his former classmate, laughing, "I had lunch with you only a few weeks, Av. You've got me confused with someone else." He waived a waiter over and placed his order, looking much more calm and sure of himself than Avaric remembered him being.

He took a drink from his waterglass. "Eh, keeping up appearences. Even the best of friends fade together. Don't worry, you've always been a pleasant part of the blur."

"Good to know, good to know." Avaric narrowed his eyes. Fiyero was not the person his mind remembered. Fiyero had been naive, painfully innocent and a little gawky at Shiz- like he was just coming out of a badly timed growth spurt and still couldn't keep meat on his bones. The man who sat across from him was much more believable as the Prince of a tribal nation made up of hunters and warriors. "Anyway, I've been well. I've stayed in the City later than I usually do this year, but..."

"But you don't mind it that much?" Avaric guessed, not giving away that he was mentally comparing himself to his friend, surprised to find the Winkie his equal.

Fiyero looked away from him, shrugging. "The tribe hardly needs me back home- I'm more useful to them here, negotiating trade agreements and the like."

Their food came then, but it didn't end the conversation as it could have. "And there's no great desire to return to the wife?"

That was where Fiyero faltered slightly. "She's perfectly fine and perfectly occupied. Two boys under the age of five, and a little girl. She doesn't miss me. I miss the children, though."

"Have the trade agreements kept you busy enough to keep you here, then?" Now Avaric was interested. Were there some sort of financial woe for the tribe? Something his own powerful family could be hurt by as well? "Anything special happening?"

Fiyero took a bite of his meal, swallowing it. "Not really. It's not so much business that's keeping me here, more complicated than that."

"A girl then? A pretty little thing who's fancied herself a prince's mistress? Some girl who's read to many fairy-tails trying to live out a fantasy."

He denied it, of course. "No, no, nothing like that."

_Ahh, that confirms it_, Avaric thought to himself. "Methinks the Prince doth protest too much."

"Methinks the Asshole needs to mind his own business," he shot back.

"Touche," Avaric held up a hand to calm him. "All you need to say, my friend. I can understand that. But if you care to answer: I gather that she's not some shrinking violet?"

"No, not at all," Fiyero admitted, fondly.

Avaric smiled at first, but it froze on his face. _Elphaba_, of course. Elphaba, who had been so preoccupied with Fiyero year's before. His voice catching in his throat, he asked, "Do I know her?" He hoped it came out nonchalant, but he doubted it.

"I don't think so," he lied, not well. Although he'd only half-finished his food, he waived a waiter over and asked for his check. "It's later than I thought. I need to be going."

"To your lady, then?" Avaric wasn't much better at pretending not to care.

Fiyero nodded, slightly, seeing little point in lying. "Yes," he admitted.

"Have fun!" Avaric called out, paying for his own meal.

With no plans for the evening, and nothing to lose, he followed his friend- Fiyero was surely a good tracker, but didn't seem to be worried about being tracked himself. He didn't notice Avaric behind him, especially not when he entered into an old building in the bad part of town. Avaric memorized the address, returning a morning about a week later. He hid in a coffee shop across the street. Sure enough, Fiyero exited, happy and satisfied. About a half hour later, Elphaba followed. Avaric laid down a mess of bills to cover for his drink and followed her, not waiting for his change. "Elphaba!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" was his only greeting from the shell-shocked young woman.

He tipped his hat to her. "How do you do, Miss Elphaba? Haven't seen you in some years."

She glared at him, not lightening. "Try two and cut the crap. I repeat: what the hell are you doing here?"

He leaned against the fence post with a cocky grin. "Why Miss Elphaba, where did you manage to learn such vulgar language? A young unmarried woman like you shouldn't say anything harsher than _'What the dickens?'_"

He was glad to notice that she had put on a little bit of weight- not enough to make her look quite healthy, but enough to keep her from looking skeletal. Doubtlessly Fiyero's doing. "Shut the fuck up and answer my question. I don't have a lot of time. How did you find me?"

"How can I both shut up and answer your question?" He asked, enjoying getting under her skin. At her death glare he gave it up and answered, "I'm sure your lover is a brilliant hunter and tracker, but he isn't so good at covering his own tracks, at least from other humans with the same prey; I followed Fiyero."

She scowled. "Is that what I am to you? Something to chase after?"

"No, I prefer it when women come to me-much easier. You're just the difficult one."

She hitched her back up higher on her bony shoulder. "Then give it up, I'm sure there are plenty of women who would go right to you."

"You can't say you haven't missed me at all?"

She hesitated for a millisecond, but said "I have not. Why would I need you when I can be with someone I do love?"

He grinned. "So you are in love with the Winkie Prince. Has your lover told you he loves you, or does he view you the same way I do? A distraction, an adventure?"

She had looked at him in many differant ways in the past- with lust, with annoyance, with joy, with curiosity. Now she looked at him with a certain level of hate. "He hasn't told me so with words, but he also doesn't lie to me."

A bit of the cocky facade vanished. "I only lied to you when you needed me to."

"But you never loved me when I needed _someone _to."

All of the bravado faded into a look of horror. "And do you love him?"

"Yes, I do. And whether you truly loves me or not, I don't need any of your lies anymore."


	7. The Lie Became The Truth

Songs I listened to while writing this chapter: Nobody Needs To Know from The Last Five Years, Portrait of a Girl, from Bare, Kerry Ellis's I'm Not That Girl, I'll Be There from The Pirate Queen, Johanna from Sweeney Todd, Shoshana Bean's Home, and No More from See What I Wanna See, Get Out And Stay Out from the musical Nine To Five. I wonder if they managed to shape anything.

Anyway, this IS the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this last installment, as well as the story in general. I've been very pleased with the positive feedback for this story. Thank you all so much.

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There was a banging outside, a ruckus punctuated by what sounded like gunshots. Although Avaric meant to ignore, through the wall of his hotel room he could hear another guest demand of a butler, "What the hell was that?"

Curious enough, he poked his head out the door; Lurlinemas Eve had been dull, and he would appreciate a bit of gossip. The servant looked uncomfortable. "Sir, we don't really know. There's no official word yet, but personally, and don't quote me on this, I think it might be terrorism. There's more political unrest in this city than the Wizard would like you to know about."

As soon as the word 'terrorism' had passed from his mouth, Avaric was searching for his shoes and coat. He knew Elphaba had no desire to speak with him, but that didn't relieve his desire to check on her. Was she behind what was tearing the City apart, or was she caught in the crossfire? Or did she have nothing to do with it, and was simply sitting in her home with her royal lover, wondering what all the fuss was?

God, he hoped for the last option. Well, perhaps he prayed that Fiyero weren't a part of the equation: at times like this, he knew he couldn't afford to be picky.

The Winter snow, Lurlinemas snow turned to mush beneath his feet, mixing with the City's dirt. He took the long way, avoiding where he had heard the gunshots and fighting. Luckily, he was sure that whatever had happened was finished- the streets were eerily quiet. But perhaps this wasn't so much of a good thing? He hurried to the strip of abandoned warehouses where he knew she made her home.

He knew what building it was, and ran up the stairs two at a time, feeling more and more anxious with each step. His instinct had been correct. Something was _wrong._ The wretched sobbing only confirmed it.

He located her in the corner of the room. She was alive, and didn't seem to be physically hurt. But that painful crying was her. She was kneeling over a body- a corpse, he realized with growing horror.

_Fiyero was dead._

Without any sort of greeting -what would have even been appropriate?- he went to her. The wooden floor was covered in blood. The back of his skull had been crushed and she'd turned him so she could see his face. Her hand rested on his cheek, trying to will life back into him. "Yero, please," Avaric could hear her whisper before she submitted to sobbing again.

"What happened?" he asked, reaching for her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

She flew from his arms and whatever comfort he could have provided her with. In a voice mangled by grief she said, "He loved me, he was finally able to truly tell me so," she paused to try and catch her breath. "So of course he had to die, of course they had to kill him. I'm not allowed to be happy, I don't know why I thought I could have been." She broke down again, collapsing against Fiyero's chest. Avaric had the sudden realization that even dead, she took more comfort in Fiyero than she ever had taken from him.

It didn't matter though, and he moved forward again, wraping his arms back around her. This time she did not push him away, resting against his shoulder. In time her sobbing ended and she calmed. He pulled her up to her feet, slowly. "Do you have any idea who did this?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, nodding. "The Gale Force. They've been looking for us all night. They came here to look for me- maybe not me in particular, but terrorists. I-" She faltered a little and took a minute to recompose herself. "I told him to stay away from here because I knew it would be dangerous for him."

"Is it still dangerous here?"

"I hoped so. I was waiting for them to come back for me." Her voice was small. He had the passing thought that this was the second time she had mentioned a suicidal tendency to him. Before he had a chance to comment, her eyes snapped open. "But I changed my mind... We have to go." She was halfway to the door before she doubled back, collapsing next to her lover's body again. "Damn it, Fiyero, why did I let you do this to me?"

"Do what to you?" Avaric asked, feeling like a voyer watching an intensely intimate moment. It didn't matter- when had anything about his relationship with Elphaba Thropp not been completely twisted?

She squeezed one of the unresponsive hands. "Made me fall in love with him, for one. And I might be pregnant," she added as she realized what her subconscious had been telling her for a little bit of time. The information sunk in a little bit. "Oh, God. I might be pregnant."

He didn't even comment on her reference to God. "You don't know?"

"I've never had a child before, I don't know." Her hand rested on her stomach as another crying fit started. It was like a slap in the face to him, but he couldn't say why. She reached out to Fiyero and cradled his mangled skull as if she could mend it with love. She failed, of course, and it crushed her again.

"Elphaba, there is nothing you can do for him now. Mourning over his body won't bring him back." He pulled her away from the body again, but it was as if the whole world had suddenly gotten much too big for her.

She leaned against him, broken and exhausted as if the entire world rested on her incapable shoulders. "I just don't what to do now, I can't... I-" She buried her face in his shoulder, allowing him to pick her up. He carried her out the door and down the stairs. She was mostly unconscious before his foot hit the last step. He just walked, now knowing where he was headed until he got there. The Chapel of Saint Glinda in the Emerald City. He just hoped the Chapel held some of Glinda, the Girl's warmth.

He touched her tangled hair, matted with Fiyero's blood. "Yero..."

"No, Elphie, not him. It's just me," he said as gently as he could as she drifted away from the hopeful dream. "It's just Avaric."

Her eyes were cold, dead, and expressionless. She looked in his direction but didn't really see him. "Sometimes I think I might have loved you," she admitted.

She settled her on the stoop of the church so he could knock on the door. "Lies become the truth all the time," he said, kissing her, as close to an admission as he could come.

He didn't wait for the young maunt to come for her, walking away. He glanced backward to see that a hermit had indeed opened the door to let her in.

For him, the days would turn into weeks and months, until he barely lived anymore, thinking of her very little. He did not have the luxury of emotion and his hateful love or loving hate faded into memory.


End file.
